The post today, entitled, "SC: Black minister serves up civil equality challenge to Sen. Obama," on Pam's House Blend is refreshing, as it shows an Afro-American minister advocating for full and equal civil rights for Gay people. Rev. Bennie Colclough, pastor of Greater Bethel A.M.E. Church in Kingstree, South Carolina, said the following:
"The African-American faith community must defend the human dignity of all people as distinguished leaders in our community are calling us to this task.
"Consider Coretta Scott King's remarks in a 1998 address in which she said that "Homophobia is like racism and anti-Semitism and other forms of bigotry in that it seeks to dehumanize a large group of people, to deny their humanity, their dignity and personhood."
"...The African-American faith community must recognize the perpetrators and injustice, and bring about an end to the hurt that has been caused to so many.
"Discrimination is morally wrong and un-Christian. Let me repeat this: Discrimination is morally wrong and un-Christian."
[To read the full post, see here.]
It's high time that clergy behave like Christians and, as does Rev. Colclough, forcefully speak out against the discrimination and oppression of God's LGBT children.
To remain silent in the face of discrimination against others is equivalent to supporting that discrimination! No one who remains silent has their hands clean! If you attend a homophobic church; if you in any way support homophobic clergy; if you do not speak out in favor of full and equal civil and sacramental rights for LGBT people; if you remain silent in the face of the deprivation of full and equal civil and sacramental rights for LGBT people, you are culpable in that homophobia, that discrimination, that oppression, that deprivation!
God bless Rev. Colclough for his articulate sentiments regarding LGBT rights, and for challenging Sen. Obama to confront homophobia by saying he hopes: "Senator Barack Obama will be true to his platform for change, and speak out against religious bigotry coming from a select group of African-American evangelical leaders."
It's unfortunate that the only candidates for President, Dennis Kucinich and Mike Gravel, who were the only candidates supporting full equality for Gay people, did not get meaningful and active support from LGBT people and from all people of good will in the U.S., and that we are left with a group of people who are not likely to have the decency to live up to the sentiments of a man like Rev. Colclough.
2 comments:
@Jerry: I am so proud to hear about this. As a black gay young man i'm really proud to see black pastors like Rev. Bennie Colclough.
Black pastors know that their alot of their black memebers are black and gay. I hope Obama is the canidate to bring change and unity for our country. I haven't decided yet who i'm voting for. It's either Clinton or Obama.
On gay rights-Obama is on record to repel the so-called defense of marriage act[doma]. While Hillary only want to repel a provision of it. She refuses to critizes her husband for the DOMA law, and on DADT. It's things like that show me she doesn't have a strong devotion for LGBT right, obama is a little ahead of her on it. So I'm leaning towards obama.
I like Dennis Kucinich and Mike Gravel, but no one wanted to support them. That's unfortunate and sad.
What you think Jerry? Can Obama bring the change he says? Can Hillary be trusted?
Hi justice mh: Although anyone who the Democrats are running will be better than what we have now, I don't really have hope for either Obama or Clinton in regard to their support for full and equal civil rights for LGBT people. Their hearts simply don't seem to be in it!
Obama had McClurkin and Mary Mary fronting for him to court the conservative Black church vote and, although if it came between him and Clinton, I'd vote for him, I, like you, wanted Kucinich, so, again, I have to go into the voting booth, hold my nose, and vote for Obama.
I think DADT will be repealed (largely because they need more military personnel), but DOMA will remain unless there is a groundswell of revulsion against it, and that there is meaningful grassroots and organizational activism by LGBT people and allies, and I don't see that activism as of yet.
I don't trust any politician, as their primary objective is to get any votes they can and appeal to any constituency that will deliver those votes, and principle be damned. The only two politicians who ran on principle didn't have a chance: Kucinich and Gravel.
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